With the UK committed to 138 F-35s, it has so far ordered 48 F-35Bs for the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. While it has yet to decide if the remainder will be A- or B-variant, the commander of the Lightning Force told that the flexibility of the STOVL F-35B is also of value for land-based operations as the aircraft can and will be flown from 'off-strip' locations. Source: IHS Markit/Patrick Allen

A French Air Force (FAF) MQ-9 Reaper medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed in a desert area of Niger, the French Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 17 November.
The ministry said Niamey airbase lost contact with the UAV a few kilometres from the runway at

Naval Group and Atmos UAV have signed a letter of intent (LOI) to integrate the latter’s vertical take-off and landing unmanned systems for naval use.
A preliminary phase will involve the two companies working together to detail and finalise a plan for the integration of Atmos UAVs with Naval

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is funding the at-sea demonstration of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) designed to find and aid personnel who have fallen overboard. The demonstration will be staged from a Royal Navy (RN) vessel.
Developed by Roke Manor Research under the Defence Science and

India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has issued a letter of request (LOR) to the US government on 15 November regarding the intended purchase of 24 Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk multirole naval helicopters for the Indian Navy (IN).
IN officials told Jane’s that the long-delayed request to

Australia has selected the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc’s (GA-ASI’s) MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to fulfil its Project Air 7003 requirement, the company announced on 16 November.
The plan to field an armed medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAV was set out

FEATURED REPORT

China’s territorial ambitions around its coast have long been among the driving forces of its military modernisation. Tiago Falcao Machado reports on how, to support the expanding missions of its air forces, the PLA is developing an increasingly effective SEAD capability

The US Marine Corps Rapid Capabilities Office (MCRCO) is interested in lightening the load that infantry marines currently carry by equipping squads with new unmanned vehicle technologies.
In a recent request for information posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website, the MCRCO said it is

Key Points
Australia has marked further progress in its Sea 1180 programme with the naming of its new OPV class and the start of steel welding on the first of class
The programme’s first of class is expected to be delivered by 2021
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has named the offshore

The US Marine Corps Rapid Capabilities Office (MCRCO) is interested in lightening the load that infantry marines currently carry by equipping squads with new unmanned vehicle technologies.
In a recent request for information posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website, the MCRCO said it is